Safety signal device for vehicles



Aug. 1, 1950 M. A. BLASINGAME 2,517,173

SAFETY SIGNAL DEVICE FOR VEHICLES Filed Dec. 17, 1946 20 l I I 21 lll zw r/roagrm 45 ATTORNEYS customs have developed in; certain areas wherein .the driver of a vehicle desiring to-pass a=slower formal procedure.

Patented Aug. 1, 1350 unites, srnrgs.

I The present invention relates to signal devices Y and .more particularly to signal lamps for automotive vehicles.

The intermingling of fast and slow automobile and truck traffic on "narrow'highways has proved --is shown mountedgfat exceedingly hazardous largely "because ;-of problems of passing. These problems are-seriously aggravated when such trafiic: is impressed on narrow highways in mountainous regions. Tl;1e

temptation for fast moving vehicles to pass slower,

of life. As a result of these problems, ;courtesy movingvehicle, such as a truck, blinks hisiights and the driver of the slower moving vehicle blinks his lights in answer when it is :safe to pass; This :ment .1 i, ,is hownflin' light line construction. A control panel. We -presently more fully described, is mounted-in the driving, compartment where it is conveniently. eccessible.-. An illuminable sign I 3 gthe rear ofthe truck. 2 Wires. l4-.-.ind atedzinflpt e l e communicate e we e. illum pable si lath o t panel 12, and a battery l5, also indicated .in dotted line. In Zrand 3, tlre illuminable sign i3 isillus- ,trated in rgreateit detailr; A-substantially rectan- .-pr vi edzw thsfla egslzzextended t erefrom f r c nven e c himountim the zhousin m mber-on g the frame,-,bed,z- ,numb aw .plate bracket,- or elsegwheregon the'truckjor other-automotive vehicle. .The; mounting; apqrtionalso has lamp --S00ket procedure has meritbut. does ,not solve the prob-,-.F ;mounting onenings23 nndil respectively, formed lems. Not all 'driversare familiar withthisiin-- Lights are frequentlydimmed or blinked for other purposes.- 'Slowmoving-vehioles have no positive means for signaling trafiic collecting behind it that safe passing conditi ons,

prevail. The blinking of lights is of little assistance in the daylight.

An object of my invention is, therefore, to provide a safety signal device expediting the passing of automotive vehicles.

Another object is to reduce accidents incident tothe passing of automotive-vehicles under conditions of restricted visibility.

Another object is to provide an automotive,

safety, signaling device operable by day as well asbynight. H

Another object is to provide a passing signaling device whose import is obvious even "to the most uninstructed driver.

Further objects are to provide improved olen ing a part of the signal device as taken on line 44 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of the circuit embodied in the signal device.

Referring in greater detail to the drawings:

In Fig. 1, a truck l0, having a driving compart therein. The rearwardly disposed-portion 2d has an upper-opening iii-and a lower opening .26, preferably rectangular in'z shape, formedtherein. At the juncturesmfthe rearwardly disposed portion and the end portions; upper corner openings 2'! and lower corner openings 2-3 are provided. The upper opening ,25-and the upper corner openings 2'! are preferably closed with windows 29 of translucent, red material. The lower opening 26 and the lower corner openings 28 are preferably closed with windows 36 of translucent green material; The red window in the upper opening 25 and the green window in-the lower opening 26 have unasks 3i and 32 respectively, superposed thereon. Theupper mask -31 is perforated with signal indiCia' S 3, such as the legend, Dangerous I to Pass." Similarly the lower mask is perforated with signalindiciasfl. such as the motto, Clear to Pass?" The masks are conveniently secured by screw-threaded'rreans 135.. 1 1;

' Conventional lamp sockets 36 and 31. are mounted in the openings 23 and 24 respectively, inwardly disposedzthe housing member l 'Suitable lamps 38 and 39 are mounted in the sockets 36 and 31, respectively. To preclude the lamps from illuminating the wrong windows, the housing member is interiorly divided by an opaque partition 40 forming an upper light compartment 4|, having red windows only, and a lower light compartment 42 having green windows only.

In Fig. 4, the control panel [2 is illustrated, mounted in the driving compartment ll of the truck, as on an instrument panel 43, thereof. The panel bears a switch unit individual to each light compartment. A switch unit 44, controlling the illumination of the compartment 4|, preferably bears the letter D indicating that the switch relates to the Dangerous to Pass signal, A switch unit 45, controlling the illumination of the lower light compartment 42, preferably bears the letter C indicating that the switch relates to the Clear to Pass signal. A red pilot lamp 46 is positioned on the panel near the switch unit 44 and is energized whenever the lamp 38 is illuminated. Similarly, a green pilot lamp 4'! is positioned on the panel near the switchunit 45 and is energized whenever the lamp 39 is illuminated.

To accomplish the energizing of the lamps in the manner described an electrical circuit, schematically illustrated in Fig. 5, is employed. The battery [5 of the truck. is the source of current supply. The switch unit 44, the red pilot lamp 46, and the lamp 38, in the upper light compartment 4|, are wired in series across the source of current supply. The switch unit 45, the green pilot lamp 41, and the lamp 39, in the lower light compartment 42, are also wired in series across the source of current supply. It is obvious that either or both of the lamps 38 and 39 may be flashing, occulting, periodically interrupted in their illumination without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The operation of the device is obvious from the preceding description and will be summarized briefly at this point. When the driver of a vehicle approaching the truck from the rear makes known his desire to pass, as by blinking his lights, sounding his horn, or other conduct; the driver of the truck from his vantage point, observes the condition of on-coming tr'aific. If it is not safe to pass, he signals the fact by pressing the switch unit 44 and illuminating the upper light compartment 4|. This in turn illuminates the perforated motto, Dangerous to Pass, and warns also by means of the red windows 29. When it becomes safe to pass, the switch unit 44 is released by the truck driver, the switch unit 45 closed, and the lower light compartment 42 illuminated. This, by illuminating the green windows 30 and the motto "Clear to Pass, signals the following vehicle that it is safe to pass. The pilot lamps 46 and 41 indicate to the operator of the signal device the illumination of said device. If either of the lamps S8 or 39 burn out or if their circuits are interrupted, their respective pilot lamps 46 and 41 will fail to be energized.

It is obvious that the operation of the present device depends upon the cooperation of the driver of the truck to achieve its optimum utility. Inasmuch as the safety of the truck and truck driver depend upon safe passing procedure, the requisite cooperation is quite generally forthcoming. This is further borne out by the fact that the present invention was developed by a truck driver in answer to problems incident to truck driving.

The present invention expedites the passing of automotive vehicles, it is conducive to the reduction of highway accidents, it is effectively employed by day as well as by night, and its significance is clear to the most uninstructed driver.

Although I have herein shown and described my invention in what I have conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is recognized that departures may'be made therefrom within the scope of my invention, which is not to be limited to the details disclosed herein, but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent devices and systems.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A safety signal device for automotive vehicles comprising a housing member interiorly positioned to form a pair of light compartments, each of said compartments having a rearwardly disposed opening formed therein, translucent windows for the openings of colors individual to the light compartment, mask means for the windows covering only a portion of each, one of said mask means bearing the translucent indicia Dangerous to Pass and the-other bearing the translucent indicia. Clear to Pass, lamps mounted within the light compartments, a circuit for the lampof each compartment including a source of current supply, a pair of manually manipulable switches in said circuits for selectively energizing the lamps in the compartments, and pilot lamps of the same color as the windows energized in response to illumination of their respective windows. 1

2. A safety signal comprising a housing member interiorly partitioned to form a pair of light compartments, each of the compartments having a unidirectional opening formed therein, a trans lucent window located over each opening with each window having a distinctive translucent color, mask means located over and covering only a portion of each window, one of the mask means pierced with letters forming Dangerous to Pass, the other mask means pierced with letters forming Clear to Pass, a lamp mounted within each compartment, and means for selectively lighting each lamp.

MYRON A. BLASINGAME.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,244,990 Koch Oct. 30, 1917 1,269,261 Cook June 11, 1918 1,301,741 Raul et a1. Apr. 22, 1919 1,893,371 Knowlton Jan. 3, 1933 2,044,300 Heans June 15, 1936 2,083,102 Slough June 8, 1937 2,088,370 Gingras July 27, 1937 2,400,655 Saia May 21, 1946 

